How to make January more bearable?

I have bought a load of cheap fabric! I am going to make kitchen curtains, a skirt, an apron and pyjama bottoms. Hopefully 😬

I am also going to practice my flute and piano every day, even if I only play one song. Also read at least two pages of my book each day (currently Katherine by Anya Seton) and plan what I want to read over the next year (I want to finish a Dumas and all of Dostoyevsky’s short stories).

Getting my body ready for summer! Leg and foot care. Taking really good care of my facial skin. Going for a walk every day while listening to the Gloomsbury radio series (it stars Miriam Margoyles and is absolutely hilarious!).

It’s also a great time of year to spring clean the house. Even if you aim for just two minutes a day.

Were meal planning this week as decided to try and eat more non processed foods and going to try and do some batch cooking. Got ourselves an excercise diary each to try and make doing some excercise a bit fun. Looking at holidays, not going to book yet but planning will be fun. Basically making a few changes to get our health back on track after being a bit lazy about it in the last two months.

I’m not keen on January. The weather is cold and damp and it’s so dark and having been paid a week earlier in Dec it’s a long month!! I have a weeks’ annual leave so going to take the Christmas stuff down and get tidied away, I have a couple of vouchers to use, I had new books for Christmas so need to make time to read. I do like starting a new diary/calendar.
I exercise regularly anyway so it will be about keeping that going and limiting the chocolate and alcohol we seem to have accumulated over Christmas

I love this. You’re absolutely right and I’m going to follow your example. That way lies sanity.

I have family membership to the local leisure centre, mainly used by the kids for swimming, and which I very rarely use myself, so I plan to start a regular class each week. I'm already paying for it, so need to use it!

And I plan to get more organised with the weekly food shop and meal planning. I have a supermarket delivery plan which I don't use enough as I always end up being disorganised, but I plan to get better organised and hopefully make my life a little less chaotic!

I've got a fun, busy January planned. Short trip to Norfolk, classical guitar concert at Cadogan Hall, posh lunch with my sister and a night away, gig at the 100 Club, Big Garden Birdwatch, tickets to The Devil Wears Prada and then my birthday is on the 25th, a Saturday, hurrah!
Inbetween I need to do my tax return and start emptying a storage unit that has lots of vinyl to look through amongst other things. February may be a bit boring though...

I always do the same every January. I have a jolly old month of eating lovely food & drinking Prosecco. I booked the local
am dram panto, plan lots of walks, cheap teas at wethers/pizza express, board game nights, things we got from Christmas like face masks, bath bombs, hair band set, crafts. We fill the days with nice things, nice food & I don’t not drink. IMO, there’s a no more deserving month to do what I enjoy than January.

Feb the night are getting lighter, spring is a bit nearer & it’s a short month & I’m much more motivated to be healthier.

A DIY project focuses the mind. This year, daughter's bedroom.

Exactly my thoughts! Am just going to try quietly.

It sounds like maybe you’ve taken too much on? A lot of people have the ‘new year, new you’ mindset but it’s often unsustainable to make big changes all at once, ie going from drinking 5 nights a week to none AND eating better AND exercising etc etc. Why don’t you also build in something new that you love and that gives you joy, not just self-improvement that requires willpower? Eg a regular meet-up with a friend?

Personally I love January. Days are getting longer, there’s new hope for all the good things the new year will bring, excitement, seeing everyone again after holidays, making plans for the summer… It’s a time to daydream about what the future holds.

I do zero self-improvement in January. I tend to do these things in September or March to not coincide with everyone else, eg Jan 1 gym goers.

Hogmanay and Ne'er Day soon.

Twelfth Night and Epiphany celebrations early Jan.

Wassailing at the Community Orchard in early Jan.

Helping DC learn their Scots Poems for the school competition.

If it snows properly, a day on the slopes (usually Cairngorm).

Ice skating for me and DC.

Curling for DH and DC.

Big Garden Birdwatch.

Burns' Night celebrations on the 25th.

I took the decorations down tonight and dusted, vacuumed and mopped. It made me feel much better!
I've been getting out walking more, even if it's just an hour or so. On Monday I saw the most gorgeous sunset. A few years ago I joined borrow my doggy and we take out a lovely dog which makes walking even more interesting and without the commitment!
Whilst I'm waiting for something to cook, I sort one of the drawers or cupboards out and the house is slowly getting more organised and less cluttered.
Maybe try using a sad lamp? Just 20 minutes whilst you have your first brew in the morning can work wonders. I also highly recommend vitamin d supplements

I love January! It’s a time of fresh starts, a whole year to look forward to, everything going back to normal after the stress and chaos of Christmas.

it’s a time of new stationery, new challenges, seed catalogues, big piles of books to enjoy, time to plan activities and trips.

Everyone hates January.
My birthday is the first week of Jan. It's fuckin awful.

So don't be selfish to your friends or family with early Jan birthdays.

Thank you for sharing, this is a lovely idea

I`ll be coming home in jan from my holiday.
And off again 3rd week of feb to spain back home a week later then off again the end of march to india for 2 weeks then home till jun then off to thailand for 3 weeks.
Im never home.

I do the Walk 1000 miles challenge every year and I love it! It's only 2.74 miles a day (all activities count, eg swimming, housework) and you get a shiny medal 🏅 at the end!

This will be my 5th year doing it.

Sign up is free at:

https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/

I actually like January, fresh year to start.

I kind of hate this week though with it being in between closing one year and starting the next.

I don’t really drink so dry January isn’t for me … good luck though I think it’s great you are trying it!

I’ve bought some new walking boots and have decided to learn Italian … so that’s what I’ll be doing for the next couple of months.

We've got three more events to go to and then I'm hibernati g. I have a house to declutter and deep clean and exams to revise for.

Have some life admin to do as well and a holiday to book. The long cold months are ideal for sorting through the paperwork backlog.

Ah OP I could have written this! I never normally do dry January but my body needs it this year after a very indulgent month. I'm not dieting but I am going to try to avoid UPFs as far as possible (a challenge I successfully did this year but fell by the wayside in December!) which in itself keeps me busy as it means I spend a lot more time meal planning, looking for new recipes, baking etc, want to get back to enjoying good food and generally feeling better.

Will also get back to my hobbies which are active and in the evenings so that keeps me busy too. I hibernate on weekend in winter though!

Honestly, I just decided that I'd rather do something rather than keep going the way I was, as it was making me miserable.

A year ago I could easily drink a bottle of wine to myself most nights, and then I'd snack. I had awful skin, felt like a blob.

I've lost 3 stone, found new hobbies (running and weights) and I love my meals - lots of veg and protein.

I don't miss the booze or crap food at all.

Being slim and fitter now keeps me motivated to stay this way.

Best of luck - if I can turn things around, anyone can. You probably already know what you need to do - so start now - you deserve to be happier.

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions but this year I'm promising myself it'll be the year of walking. I've made time for a few long walks over Christmas and without fail I've come back from them feeling energised, clear headed and more positive than before the walk. I struggle with January generally so am planning to nourish myself with good quality food and fresh air.

Deep clean of the house, de-clutter. Decorations away and fresh white flowers and eucalyptus or fresh pine scented candles around the house. Lots of fresh air, exercise and healthy salads, stews and soups.

@chippytea33 we could be kindred spirits! I don't think I've had a wine-less day since November so dry January could be ... interesting!

I really love the re-set of January. We’re verging on exhaustion at this stage, having partied and socialised all of December. We have 2 more lunches and one more party to go and then I’m really looking forward to no booze and healthy living.